Contemporary artist Jean Shin (American, born South Korea 1971) transforms everyday objects—worn-out shoes, fashion remnants, military uniforms—to create dynamic works about connection and belonging. Her installations, often made from donated and discarded materials, raise provocative questions about what, and how, we consume.

Watch: Time-Lapse Video of Jean Shin’s Unraveling

In this short time-lapse video, see how Jean Shin’s site-specific work Unraveling transformed three white gallery walls into a colorful installation over the course of seven days. Learn more about this project >>

​Artwork courtesy of the artist. Video produced by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2018

Artist Jean Shin. Photo by Daniel Terna

About the Artist

Born in South Korea and raised in the United States, Jean Shin currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Her works have been shown at more than 150 museums and cultural institutions, including in solo exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia; and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. In 2016 she completed a landmark commission, Elevated, for New York City’s Second Avenue subway.

Shin attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, and received a BFA and MS from Pratt Institute, where she is a tenured adjunct professor of fine art. Learn more about the artist on her website.

Sponsors

This exhibition was made possible by The Coby Foundation, Ltd., Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, and other generous donors.